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THE HOLY MONTH OF RAMADAN AND FASTING DURING IT
The month of Ramadan in which the Quran was revealed, a guidance for mankind, clear signs of guidance and the criterion. (2:185)
Fasting in the holy month of Ramadan is one of the foremost of the five pillars of Islam
Fasting is the key to a true, sincere, comprehensive and universal thanksgiving
Fasting during the holy month of Ramadan is the key to a true, sincere, comprehensive and universal thanksgiving. Many people are unable to appreciate most of the bounties they enjoy since they suffer no hunger. A piece of dry bread, for example, means nothing as Divine bounty for those who are full, especially if they are rich, although it is, as even testified by his sense of taste, a very valuable bounty of God in the sight of a believer at the time of breaking his fast. Everyone, whether a king or the poorest of people, are favored, in the holy Ramadan, with a heart-felt thanksgiving by understanding the value of Divine bounties. Also, because of being forbidden to eat during daytime, a believer thinks: those bounties do not originally belong to me, and I am not free to regard them as mere food or drink. One Other owns them, and He grants them to me. So, I should wait for His permission to eat them. By thus acknowledging whatever he eats and drinks to be a gift of God, the believer thanks God tacitly. On account of this, fasting becomes a key to thanksgiving, which is a real human duty in many respects.
There are many Divine purposes for the obligation of fasting
There are many Divine purposes for the obligation of fasting during Ramadan related to self-training and self-discipline. One of those purposes is as follows:
The carnal self desires to be free and unrestricted and regards itself to be so. It even wishes, by its very nature, for an imagined lordship and free, arbitrary action. Disinclined to thinking that it is being trained and tested through the countless bounties of God, it swallows up, like an animal, those bounties in the manner of a thief or robber, especially if it has a degree of wealth and power accompanied by heedlessness.
It is in holy Ramadan that the selfhood of everyone, whether the richest or the poorest, understands that, rather than owning itself, it is owned by One Other, and rather then being free, it is a servant. Unless it is ordered, or permitted, it is unable to do even the most common thing like eating and drinking, and thereby its illusory lordship is shattered, it can admit to servanthood and performs its real duty, which is thanksgiving.
Fasting also prevents the carnal self from rebellious acts and adorns it with good morals.
Fasting during holy Ramadan, however, causes even the most heedless and stubborn to feel their weakness and innate poverty. Hunger becomes an important consideration for them and reminds them how fragile their bodies are. They come to perceive to what extent they need compassion and care and, giving up haughtiness, feel a desire to take refuge in the Divine Court in perfect helplessness and destitute, and rise to knock at the door of Mercy with the hand of tacit thanksgiving, provided, of course, that heedlessness has not yet corrupted the individual completely.
Fasting has a connection also with the revelation of the holy Quran
Fasting during Ramadan has a connection also with the revelation of the holy Quran. As is generally known, the Quran began to be revealed in Ramadan. This connection has many implications. One of these is that - just as if the Quran were to be revealed in every Ramadan, a believer should seek to be like the angels and abandon eating and drinking, and divest himself of the vain preoccupations and gross needs of his carnal self. During Ramadan, he should recite or listen to the Quran as if it were being revealed for the first time or, if he is able, listen to the Quran as if he were hearing it recited by the Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, or by the Archangel Gabriel to Muhammad, or revealed by God Himself to Muhammad through Gabriel. Also, he should respect the Quran in the actions of his daily life and, by conveying its message to the others, demonstrate the Divine purpose for revealing the Quran.
Fasting has also many purposes related to the spiritual rewards of man.
Fasting during Ramadan has also many purposes related to the spiritual rewards of man, who has been sent to the world to sow it with the seeds of the next life. The following paragraphs explain one of those purposes.
One Ramadan may enable a believer to gain as much reward as could be earned in a life of eighty years.
Also, the great majority of mankind frequently become subject to hunger. In order to endure a long-lasting hunger with patience, people should train themselves in self-discipline and an austere lifestyle. Fasting during Ramadan provides just such a training based on patience with hunger of fifteen hours, or even twenty-four hours if the meal before dawn is missed. This means that fasting is a cure for the impatience and want of endurance, which double the misfortune of mankind.
Many members of the human body are either in direct or in indirect service of the factory of the stomach. If that factory is not made to stop working in daytime during a certain month of the year, it keeps those members busy with itself, forgetful of the kinds of worship and sublime duties peculiar to each. It is for this reason that, since the oldest times, saints have usually preferred to get themselves used to an austere lifestyle for the sake of spiritual and human perfection. Fasting in Ramadan reminds us that the members of the body have not been created only for the service of the stomach. In Ramadan, many of those members take pleasure in the angelic and spiritual pleasures, instead of the material ones. This is the reason why in Ramadan, believers receive, according to the extent of their spiritual perfection, different degrees of spiritual pleasures and enlightenment. The heart, the spirit, the reason and innermost senses of man are refined through fasting in Ramadan. Even if the stomach wails during fasting, these senses rejoice greatly.
Fasting during Ramadan breaks the illusory lordship of the carnal self
Fasting during Ramadan breaks the illusory lordship of the carnal self and, reminding it of its innate helplessness, convinces it that it is a servant.
The carnal self does not like to recognize its Lord, and claims lordship in great obstinacy. However much it is made to suffer, it preserves that temperament. It is only hunger which can alter that temperament. Fasting during Ramadan breaks the obstinacy of the carnal self and, by showing to it its intrinsic helplessness and poverty, reminds it that it is only a servant.
O God, grant peace and blessings to our master Muhammad in a way to please You and to give him his due, to the number of the rewards for reciting the letters of the Quran in the month of Ramadan, and to his family and Companions.
Glorified be your Lord, the Lord of Honor and Power; exalted above what they falsely ascribe to Him! And peace be upon the Messengers! And all praise be to God, the Lord of the Worlds. Amen!
The month of Ramadan in which the Quran was revealed, a guidance for mankind, clear signs of guidance and the criterion. (2:185)
Fasting in the holy month of Ramadan is one of the foremost of the five pillars of Islam
Fasting is the key to a true, sincere, comprehensive and universal thanksgiving
Fasting during the holy month of Ramadan is the key to a true, sincere, comprehensive and universal thanksgiving. Many people are unable to appreciate most of the bounties they enjoy since they suffer no hunger. A piece of dry bread, for example, means nothing as Divine bounty for those who are full, especially if they are rich, although it is, as even testified by his sense of taste, a very valuable bounty of God in the sight of a believer at the time of breaking his fast. Everyone, whether a king or the poorest of people, are favored, in the holy Ramadan, with a heart-felt thanksgiving by understanding the value of Divine bounties. Also, because of being forbidden to eat during daytime, a believer thinks: those bounties do not originally belong to me, and I am not free to regard them as mere food or drink. One Other owns them, and He grants them to me. So, I should wait for His permission to eat them. By thus acknowledging whatever he eats and drinks to be a gift of God, the believer thanks God tacitly. On account of this, fasting becomes a key to thanksgiving, which is a real human duty in many respects.
There are many Divine purposes for the obligation of fasting
There are many Divine purposes for the obligation of fasting during Ramadan related to self-training and self-discipline. One of those purposes is as follows:
The carnal self desires to be free and unrestricted and regards itself to be so. It even wishes, by its very nature, for an imagined lordship and free, arbitrary action. Disinclined to thinking that it is being trained and tested through the countless bounties of God, it swallows up, like an animal, those bounties in the manner of a thief or robber, especially if it has a degree of wealth and power accompanied by heedlessness.
It is in holy Ramadan that the selfhood of everyone, whether the richest or the poorest, understands that, rather than owning itself, it is owned by One Other, and rather then being free, it is a servant. Unless it is ordered, or permitted, it is unable to do even the most common thing like eating and drinking, and thereby its illusory lordship is shattered, it can admit to servanthood and performs its real duty, which is thanksgiving.
Fasting also prevents the carnal self from rebellious acts and adorns it with good morals.
Fasting during holy Ramadan, however, causes even the most heedless and stubborn to feel their weakness and innate poverty. Hunger becomes an important consideration for them and reminds them how fragile their bodies are. They come to perceive to what extent they need compassion and care and, giving up haughtiness, feel a desire to take refuge in the Divine Court in perfect helplessness and destitute, and rise to knock at the door of Mercy with the hand of tacit thanksgiving, provided, of course, that heedlessness has not yet corrupted the individual completely.
Fasting has a connection also with the revelation of the holy Quran
Fasting during Ramadan has a connection also with the revelation of the holy Quran. As is generally known, the Quran began to be revealed in Ramadan. This connection has many implications. One of these is that - just as if the Quran were to be revealed in every Ramadan, a believer should seek to be like the angels and abandon eating and drinking, and divest himself of the vain preoccupations and gross needs of his carnal self. During Ramadan, he should recite or listen to the Quran as if it were being revealed for the first time or, if he is able, listen to the Quran as if he were hearing it recited by the Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, or by the Archangel Gabriel to Muhammad, or revealed by God Himself to Muhammad through Gabriel. Also, he should respect the Quran in the actions of his daily life and, by conveying its message to the others, demonstrate the Divine purpose for revealing the Quran.
Fasting has also many purposes related to the spiritual rewards of man.
Fasting during Ramadan has also many purposes related to the spiritual rewards of man, who has been sent to the world to sow it with the seeds of the next life. The following paragraphs explain one of those purposes.
One Ramadan may enable a believer to gain as much reward as could be earned in a life of eighty years.
Also, the great majority of mankind frequently become subject to hunger. In order to endure a long-lasting hunger with patience, people should train themselves in self-discipline and an austere lifestyle. Fasting during Ramadan provides just such a training based on patience with hunger of fifteen hours, or even twenty-four hours if the meal before dawn is missed. This means that fasting is a cure for the impatience and want of endurance, which double the misfortune of mankind.
Many members of the human body are either in direct or in indirect service of the factory of the stomach. If that factory is not made to stop working in daytime during a certain month of the year, it keeps those members busy with itself, forgetful of the kinds of worship and sublime duties peculiar to each. It is for this reason that, since the oldest times, saints have usually preferred to get themselves used to an austere lifestyle for the sake of spiritual and human perfection. Fasting in Ramadan reminds us that the members of the body have not been created only for the service of the stomach. In Ramadan, many of those members take pleasure in the angelic and spiritual pleasures, instead of the material ones. This is the reason why in Ramadan, believers receive, according to the extent of their spiritual perfection, different degrees of spiritual pleasures and enlightenment. The heart, the spirit, the reason and innermost senses of man are refined through fasting in Ramadan. Even if the stomach wails during fasting, these senses rejoice greatly.
Fasting during Ramadan breaks the illusory lordship of the carnal self
Fasting during Ramadan breaks the illusory lordship of the carnal self and, reminding it of its innate helplessness, convinces it that it is a servant.
The carnal self does not like to recognize its Lord, and claims lordship in great obstinacy. However much it is made to suffer, it preserves that temperament. It is only hunger which can alter that temperament. Fasting during Ramadan breaks the obstinacy of the carnal self and, by showing to it its intrinsic helplessness and poverty, reminds it that it is only a servant.
O God, grant peace and blessings to our master Muhammad in a way to please You and to give him his due, to the number of the rewards for reciting the letters of the Quran in the month of Ramadan, and to his family and Companions.
Glorified be your Lord, the Lord of Honor and Power; exalted above what they falsely ascribe to Him! And peace be upon the Messengers! And all praise be to God, the Lord of the Worlds. Amen!
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